4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[bigmommasally]

Hi Has anyone got any experience of putting ex-batts into a cube. My cube arrives 18th Aug and I'm down to get 3 ex batts after that. I've been reading alot of the info on the forums and on the Welfare Trust site and I'm worried that they won't be able to cope with the ladder from the cube because they will be unfit and not able to jump. Do I need to think about rigging up a different ramp for them?

On a different subject does anyone know the best place for chicken feed etc in Essex.

Thanks

[Scooby]

Hi Sally

 

I'm not sure whether their legs will be strong enough to cope with the ladder - when we got our rescue girlies we had them separated for a few weeks anyway in order to introduce them to our other girls. By the time they were ready to go in with them they had no problems whatsoever with the ladder. I think some people on the forum have got round this by fixing another wooden ramp to the back of the ladder so that it reaches the floor and has more rungs on it.

 

Have fun with your girlies - they really are lucky and it is amazing to see them emerge as 'proper' girls!

[Jonny]

Ive got 5 in a cube.

 

The only problem I had was that they had no concept of going to roost so I had to put them in the cube each night for a few days until they got the hang of it.

 

They were strong enough to climb the ladder, a couple flew and missed out the ladder altogether.

 

3 of them roost in the nest box, one in the porthole and one on the bars, smae place every night!

[SAB]

We had ours in temporary accommodation before moving them to the cube - by then (only a couple of weeks) they were much steadier on their feet and all could manage to use the ladder to come down (some more gracefully than others) and by the end of a week in the Cube all could get up the ladder.

 

Enjoy your lucky ladies!

[SLK69]

I too got a cube for my exbatts and only had to lift them in for 3 nights before they were steady on their feet and go the hang of roosting - (going to bed) Had no probs bar the crawling over poo to get in cage - but small children are quite usefull.

 

exbatts are the best fun ever, you'll be great with your cube and girls

 

 

S

[Egluntyne]

Mine live in the cube now, but I must admit that when they first came they were very weak and wouldn't have managed.

 

I had them in an Eglu to start with.

[buffie]

We suggest using a 'filled in' ramp for a few weeks, their legs are weakened from standing in the cage.

 

Buffie x

Edited July 22, 2008 by Guest

[stoice]

Re: Chicken feed in Essex.

 

Not exactly sure which part of Essex you live in bigmommasally but I'm in North Essex. My favourite place for feed is Tower Feeds in Tiptree, The Pet Cash and Carry in Marks Tey or Upsons in Hatfield Peverel. There's Marriages in Colchester (And Chelmsford too) but I found them quite expensive. I work in Southend and QuickCluck from Rayleigh mentioned on here D&F Feeds in Hullbridge (Near Makro off the A130) but I haven't checked it out yet. Hope this helps

[Mrs Slats]

We put our 4 ex bats straight in the cube and they coped really well.

 

When we got them home we put them in the cube itself for half an hour so they could recoup, then we opened the door. They stared out for about an hour so with a bit of gentle encouragement (and the odd nudge) they made it down OK.

 

We lifted them into bed for the first couple of nights and then tried the torch trick to encourage them up on their own and they made it! What I would suggest is getting a branch or something to make an extra step up. The first step onto the ladder is quite high and even now some of our girls need an extra lift up.

 

Since then they've got in and out fine. Some stepping daintilly up and down the ladder , some hurling themselves out . We also put fake eggs in the nest box and after about 5 days they were laying in there like professionals.

[dancing cloud]

Like everyone else's my 6 in a Cube didn't know how to go to bed, so I put them in for the first night and let them find their own way out in the morning. Night 2, 4 of them went to bed by themselves and 2 were put in, night 3 and 5 of them made it. Mornings are always a bit of a scrum!

 

The only one that struggled was Chance, and that wasn't because her legs were too weak, but because she didn't know her wings moved, so couldn't balance on the ladder. By the fourth night, she balanced and got in using just her left wing, and it took her nearly two weeks after arriving to realise she had a right wing too. Her first full flap was a real cause for celebration

 

I'm out at Clacton and get my food from Romadorms pet shop in Little Clacton - recommended to me by a work colleague who's had his 3 ex-batts about three weeks longer than I've had mine. They also stock apple cider vinegar and poultry spice, as well as bedding, oyster shell, grit and spare feeders/drinkers. Pretty much everything you need.

 

Ex-batts are fantastic! I've spent the last two months watching mine turn from confused oven-readies into confident, happy chooks with at least some feathers each. Now they're outgoing, nosey, cheeky little escape artists, who can break the land speed record if they think there are grapes on offer . I'm sure you'll enjoy your lucky girls too

[bigmommasally]

Just wanted to thank you all for your speedy responses, they are all really helpful. I can't wait to become a chicken mummy, it's like waiting for christmas when you're a kid!!!!

[mayflower]

Hi, we have five ex bats in our lovely green cube. To start of with, we made a 'convalescent' run until they were stronger. I did'nt want to stress them out by changing their home, so......instead of putting the cube on it's wheels we had the cube on the floor of their run! This worked perfectly well for our hens. It meant they took themselves to bed from night 1 and did'nt need help from us. It gave them time to become stronger to climb the ladder. About three weeks later, we put the cube on it's wheels inside their new walk in run. The first night we placed them in the cube because we had a good look at them and gave them another dusting of red mite powder. In the morning 3 of them walked down the ladder as if they had been doing this for ages. The remaining 2 flew down from the top. And they still do this. Hope you find this helpful

[Janty]

We have ours in a cube but we had them in separate accomodation for the first month that we had them. We had them living in a fruit cage during the day and each night we put them to bed in a run inside the polytunnel to keep them warm. By this time, they had regained some strength and they were fine in the cube. I put two inside the roosting area of the cube and two inside the run. They looked at each other for a while then took the plunge and tried to get to each other. At bed time, they toddled off without any hassle. We were all amazed.

[Dharma chick]

Our experience was that we needed a more gentle slope and filled in with no gaps - our ex-bat girls come out of the egcube so quickly in the morning that we were fearful they might break a leg.

 

They love the ramp and use it a bit like a perch during the day.

 

They definitely need help initially.

 

The ramp allowed them to be more independent.

 

We have had them just over 4 months and they now have a mini ramp.

 

Good luck for August!

[Ardene5]

Hi

It can be done but you might need a extension to the ladder.

What we did was made one from a piece of wood which was going to be a shelf but never got put up.

Added onto it lengths of wood going width ways to make the rungs.

Then put against the plastic ladder so that the ex batteries could get up the ladder works very well.

Hope that helps.

Best regards

 

Ian & Valerie

William & Harry

Missy & Millie dogs girls

Bluebell & Tinkerbell " The Bluebell Girls"

4 new chickens , small , ,

4 ex battery hens

2 x 1 x in hut

, , a wooden coop,